Why Did You Shake Your Head?

"Mm." Master Qian nodded. "First question: Why must the furnace be heated before alchemy begins?"

"Heating the furnace means preheating the pill furnace before refining. This allows the furnace to enter its proper state in advance, preventing the ingredients from becoming difficult to fuse once the actual refining begins." Jiang Minghao answered quickly.

Master Qian nodded in satisfaction. "Second question: Why is a fire-element talent so important to an alchemist?"

"Because an alchemist must first know how to control fire, there must be a fire-element talent within them. Without a powerful fire-element talent, becoming a qualified alchemist is nothing but a castle in the air." Jiang Minghao answered swiftly again.

"Third question..."

Master Qian asked one question after another, and Jiang Minghao could answer nearly all of them. Even when he was unfamiliar with something, he could still muddle through with seven or eight parts out of ten.

Master Qian was very satisfied. "The last question."

"Between Eight-Leaf Yam Root and Blue Wuzi, which is more suitable for refining a Spirit Transformation Pill?" Master Qian asked.

Jiang Minghao grew nervous. This question was difficult. He searched his memories for relevant information from the books, analyzing it in his heart for a long while before finally making up his mind. "Blue Wuzi!"

"Why?" Master Qian asked.

"Because... because Blue Wuzi has calming and spirit-soothing effects, and it can neutralize the slight toxicity of the main ingredient in the Spirit Transformation Pill, namely Spirit Transformation Grass," Jiang Minghao said.

Master Qian shook his head. "Wrong."

"Ah?" Jiang Minghao was instantly dumbfounded.

"Don't panic. Although you answered incorrectly, this question is difficult. I never expected you to get it right in the first place." A rare trace of a smile appeared on Master Qian's icy face. "You answered the previous questions well. You have passed."

Jiang Minghao let out a breath of relief, while Jiang He hurriedly said, "Minghao, why aren't you performing the apprenticeship rite? Formally—"

"—pay respects to your teacher!"

Jiang Minghao hurriedly dropped to his knees with a thump, pressing his forehead to the floor as he performed the formal apprenticeship ceremony. "This student pays respects to Teacher!"

Thus, Jiang Minghao officially became Master Qian's registered disciple.

After the ceremony, Jiang Minghao was still somewhat curious, so he asked, "Teacher, why was the answer to that final question not Blue Wuzi?"

A trace of appreciation appeared on Master Qian's face. He seemed pleased by Jiang Minghao's thirst for knowledge, and he explained in detail, "Eight-Leaf Yam Root is more suitable for refining a Spirit Transformation Pill. Although Blue Wuzi has calming and spirit-soothing effects, its medicinal properties conflict with those of Little Jade Grass. Refining the two together makes it difficult for the pill to condense."

"While Blue Wuzi can neutralize the slight toxicity of Spirit Transformation Grass, Eight-Leaf Yam Root can do the same. Though its effect is somewhat weaker than Blue Wuzi's, compared with Blue Wuzi's flaw of making pill condensation difficult, Eight-Leaf Yam Root's shortcoming is hardly worth mentioning."

"This student has learned much!" Jiang Minghao listened, utterly entranced.

"As expected of a Certified Alchemist from the Alchemy Guild—he is truly brimming with knowledge."

"I heard that among the Qinghe City Alchemy Guild's alchemists, Master Qian is one of the few with the greatest attainments in alchemy, second only to Guild Leader Master Mo. Seeing him today, it is indeed true."

The people in the banquet hall all praised him lavishly.

Jiang Minghao's eyes were filled with excitement. Master Qian was so learned; now that he had become his registered disciple, becoming an apprentice alchemist would surely be just around the corner.

Just as Jiang Minghao was feeling as proud as a spring breeze, his gaze inadvertently swept over a nearby table. There, he saw Su Chen sitting beside it, propping up his cheek with one hand as he listened to Master Qian's eloquent lecture, while shaking his head.

Though Su Chen's head-shaking motion was subtle, Jiang Minghao caught it at once.

Wanting to embarrass Su Chen, Jiang Minghao immediately shouted, "Su Chen, why are you shaking your head? Could it be that you have some objection to the alchemy knowledge my teacher is explaining?"

The moment those words left his mouth, everyone's attention focused on Su Chen.

Even Master Qian's gaze shot toward Su Chen, sharp as an arrow. Seeing that Su Chen was merely a teenager, he could not help but frown.

Master Qian was a stern man, and what he hated most was anyone who disrespected the path of alchemy. Now, a mere teenager dared to shake his head at the alchemy knowledge he was teaching right in front of him, and his expression darkened at once.

What Master Qian did not know was that Su Chen himself felt quite helpless. He had merely propped up his cheek and dozed off. As he was about to fall asleep, his head had tilted to one side, yet Jiang Minghao had called it head-shaking.

Facing the gazes from every direction and Xu Yin's faintly worried expression in the distance, Su Chen said calmly, "I didn't shake my head."

Jiang Minghao snorted in disdain. "It's too late to deny it now. Many people saw you shaking your head just now. If you don't believe it, ask the people around you whether they saw it."

Several people beside Su Chen nodded in succession. When Su Chen's head had tilted as he dozed off just now, it had indeed looked very much like he was shaking his head.

With contempt on his face, Jiang Minghao said, "Su Chen, my teacher is teaching alchemy knowledge, and you're shaking your head below. Do you not understand the rules, or do you simply not take my teacher seriously?"

The crowd erupted in an uproar. "What? Who does Su Chen think he is, daring not to take Master Qian seriously?"

"Even if he has some martial talent, showing disrespect to an alchemist on such an occasion only proves that he is shallow and ignorant, incapable of achieving anything great."

"Master Qian is an honored guest of our Jiang Family. Is he trying to harm our Jiang Family by doing this?"

Jiang He hurriedly rose to his feet and said to Master Qian, "Lord Qian, this person is merely a distant relative of the Jiang Family. His mind is a little slow, and he has offended you. Please do not take offense! Once the banquet is over, I will certainly discipline him strictly!"

Upon hearing that the other party was slow-witted, Master Qian's expression eased considerably. He nodded. "In that case, I naturally will not hold it against him."

Jiang Minghao said smugly, "Su Chen, my teacher is broad-minded and magnanimous. Why don't you hurry and apologize to him? Be sincere about it. I think it would be best if you knelt and kowtowed in apology."

Su Chen gave Jiang Minghao an indifferent glance. This fellow was truly a fool through and through. All he thought about was how to make things difficult for Su Chen; paying him any attention at all was simply a waste of time.

Su Chen recalled what Master Qian had said earlier. Although Su Chen had been dozing at the time, his powerful soul allowed him to divide his attention, so every single word Master Qian had said had entered his mind without omission.

"I'm afraid I'm not the one who should apologize."

After recalling Master Qian's explanation, Su Chen smiled faintly and spoke.

"What?" Jiang Minghao almost thought he had misheard. "You're not the one who should apologize? Then who is? Could it be that my teacher should apologize to you?"

"That's right." Su Chen nodded calmly. "If someone must apologize today, then it is indeed your teacher. Not only must he apologize to me, he must also apologize to everyone present."

The moment Su Chen said this, no one present could remain calm.